Five millionaires on Supreme Court bench

Ginsburg is worth the most, Thomas probably the least. And Scalia still wants to be able to make more money giving speeches.

Khobar Towers Suspects Sentenced (washingtonpost.com)

Possibly. The Saudis -- you remember the Saudis? -- say they've sentenced some people. They won't say who they are, or how many there are, or what the sentences are. John Ashcroft would fit in great over there.

Birmingham News Endorsements For Congress

I can only hope it will help: Artur Davis has the strong endorsement of the News in the 7th District primary against Earl Hilliard, the incumbent and the official candidate of Moammar Qadafi and the Palestinian Authority. I'm no fan of the News' editorial policies, but I'm on their side here.

ajc.com | Sports | SENEGAL 1, FRANCE 0

I'm sorry, I still think this is even greater than Germany smashing Saudi Arabia. France probably could have had the tie, except that when Papa Bouba Diop broke through their defense, the French goalkeeper surrendered.

I'd like to thank Dan Hartung and Armed Liberal for the links; I hope I can continue to do good work here and not disappoint them.

Military Disparity Adds to Uncertainty (washingtonpost.com)

Another problem -- and one that to me makes the Cold War paradigm invalid in the subcontinent -- is that India's conventional military is clearly stronger than Pakistan's. In the Cold War, the two sides were fairly well matched. (Actually, I think both sides were afraid they would lose a conventional war.) Here, India's roughly twice as powerful as Pakistan -- and the gap is growing -- and so they aren't afraid of getting into a war. And if there is a war, it's likely the only way Pakistan will be able to survive is by going nuclear -- tactical at first, but possibly going to strategic bombs later on.

The third problem that comes to mind is command-and-control. One of my nightmare scenarios is that one officer will be able to start a nuclear exchange without orders from Islamabad or New Delhi.

T Lurksalot of Another Low Beyond Outpost thinks that the leadership in India and Pakistan is responsible enough to stay out of a full-scale nuclear exchange, and that if nukes are used the two sides will stay at a low level, with sub-kiloton tactical weapons. I hope he's right, but I have two problems. One is that I'm not as sure as I once was that Musharraf is that responsible; he certainly isn't doing as much as he could to stay out of a war Pakistan will certainly lose. Second, I'm afraid that once the genie is out of the bottle and low-yield atomics are in play, both sides will be more willing to use the big bombs -- especially if they think they can take out the other side's atomic capability with a first strike.

ajc.com | Living | Ex-Brave John Rocker stars in slasher flick

I mean, that's just smart casting.

CNN.com - Castro: 'Don't be foolish, Mr. W' - June 1, 2002

Mr. W? Castro sounds like a maid in a sixties sitcom. You know, except for the tyranny and oppression and claims he runs a worker's paradise.

Ananova - Musharraf dismisses nuclear fears

I hope he's right. Of course, it all depends. Would he really forbear if India looked about to win a war leaving it in control of not only Kashmir but much of Pakistan proper? And if he did, would he be in power much longer, and would his successor forbear?

"We've called for a no-war pact with India, that there shouldn't be any war," he said. "We've called for de-nuclearization of South Asia, so we've called for reduction of forces."

I expect they have. But that's really pretty dumb. Leaving aside the whole idea of a "no-war pact" (what are you going to do if the other side violates it, declare war?) Pakistan has a much smaller military than India, and it nuclear arsenal is smaller and less advanced. Of course Pakistan wants a reduction in forces and nuclear disarmament. It's not going to happen.

The Nando Times: Researchers announce experimental anthrax antidote

This is a "protein that offers an anthrax toxin a more attractive docking site than its usual target of healthy blood cells". Sounds like a good deal for someone in a bad way, but you'd still prefer antibiotics early on to getting injected with strange proteins.

I'm no expert, but if this works, I'd think it could eventually lead to a weapon against all sorts of toxins, natural and artificial.

The Nando Times: New parrot species found in Brazil

This doesn't sound quite right; it says the bird is ten inches long and weighs six ounces. Even for a bird, that seems really skinny. Anyway, it doesn't sound like much of a pet, it's a "a green plumed bird with a vulture's hooked neck and a bald orange head".

It's a 'very, very bad' day for French fans in S.F.

Soccer fans. French soccer fans. French soccer fans in San Francisco. And they're sad. This is the best story ever.

USS Clueless

Captain on the Bridge!

Braves Journal
Two Guys whose names end in "X".

A baseball piece, on a little bit of intellectual dishonesty from one of my idols. My biases are pretty evident, but then I'm right.

BBC News | SOUTH ASIA | Kashmiri civilians no longer feel safe

Uh, guys -- I don't mean to be flippant, but when did you ever feel safe? And why? Not that you shouldn't feel less safe than you did a month ago.

If all my professors in law school had graded like Eugene Volokh, I'd probably be a lawyer now. So, good thing they didn't, I guess.

Fun with Referrer Logs

Google Search: definitive conservative rebel to liberal thought

Oh, I hope they weren't too disappointed. I'm the #1 hit, if you can believe it. If you're still here, try the links to the left.

Possumblog has the details on the emergence of anti-Semitism in the Hilliard-Davis congressional race. I was afraid of this. Davis has been getting money from Jewish organizations, and (according to this) Hilliard (who once paid a visit on Qadafi) got contributions from an Arab-American PAC and from James Zogby. The campaign has turned into yet another proxy war between pro- and anti-Israeli groups.

There aren't many Jews in Alabama, of course. There used to be, but the Jewish population in the South has been declining for decades. Moreover, few Jews live in the 7th District, which is a gerrymandered thing put together of rural areas and heavily black neighborhoods of cities. So if Hilliard wants to attack Jews, there's not a big downside.

‘Beer Games’ a network headache

The cable channel F/X -- best known for auto racing, The Shield, and Buffy reruns -- is planning to show a one-hour special, "The World Beer Games". Not surprisingly, Canadians are prominently involved.

You know how whenever there's a hurricane, the TV news people always find somebody who's not afraid and who plans to wait it out like it's a summer shower? Remember the guy who lived on Mount St. Helens and wouldn't leave, even though the earty beneath his house was getting ready to explode? Not to mention the TV people themselves, who think they're invulnerable.

Some Visitors Unfazed By India Alert

I would think pretty much anyone would be fazed by a possible nuclear war, but not these folks, nosir.

``It's hard to believe anything would really happen,'' said Barbara Richard, who acknowledged war worries prompted her to push up her travel plans by two weeks out of concern for her children, aged 12, 10 and 4.

Richard, a Washington native, said that without the kids, she'd be fine staying here with her husband, who works in India for a multinational corporation.

``Maybe that's stupid,'' she said. ``Maybe that's naive. I've never been in a war. I don't see anything coming, but what about the Jews in Germany in the 1930s? Some of them said they saw something coming and they didn't get out."

I'm tempted to say that Mrs. Richard deserves to get blown up or irradiated or flattened by a shock wave. But that would be mean. Anyway, her kids don't.

If your dns hasn't caught up yet, this will take you to Daily Pundit, who has gotten himself a new look for his birthday. And it's very snazzy.

Diana Ross Checks Into Rehab Center (washingtonpost.com)

Not exactly man-bites-dog, is it? She, Mariah Carey, and Whitney Houston should probably get together, do an album. And about half a kilo of cocaine.

CNN.com - Ruling party wins Algeria election - May 31, 2002

This isn't particularly surprising, since two leading opposition parties boycotted the election. And that the last time the Algerian military had an election result it didn't like, it staged a coup. As it was, Algeria had a nearly American level of turnout, 47 percent.

Department of the Obvious

CNN.com - U.S.: Nuke war would kill millions - May 31, 2002

The link text was even better: "U.S. warns of massive deaths if nukes launched". The U.S. has also warned that swallowing arsenic can be harmful to your health, and that you shouldn't eat yogurt that's been left out in the sun..

Settlements Expanding Under Sharon (washingtonpost.com)

Genius, sheer genius. Not helping, Arik.

NYPOST.COM World News: VATICAN SLAMS U.S. MEDIA FOR PERV-PRIEST COVERAGE

You gotta love the Post. And if you have any affection left for the Catholic hierarchy, it's probably dwindling. This flaming bag of dog droppings is just the latest in a string of complaints that the fault doesn't lie in pederastic priests or in bishops who engage in obstruction of justice. No, the real problem is that awful media which publicizes the epidemic of child molestation and coverups. That damned free press!

(Via Vodkapundit.)

Appeals Court Overturns Law Blocking Sex-Site Access

This is why I pick on headline writers. It's a terrible one; the law didn't block anything. It mandated libraries spend their own money on nannyware to block web sites if they wanted to receive federal funding. It's an important distinction. And a terrible law.

Federal judges strike down Internet porn law

The Federal courts have -- once again -- told the government to take its filters and shove them. Way to go, ALA. One of these days, I'll actually send in my dues. (Here's the official ALA comment on the ruling.)

Of course, this place has filters anyway, but there's mostly for bandwidth purposes.

Laurence Simon is at it again, with the 2,042-year-old man. He's just asking for a fatwa. FYI, Larry: water, a fine spray.

ESPN.com: MLB - Numbers reveal teams not nearing bankruptcy

Bud Selig lies like a dog. Or Ari Fleischer, even.

washingtonpost.com: At Harvard, Jousting Over 'Jihad'

The Post weighs in. And still no mention of Matthew Yglesias, who's been out front on this story from the beginning.

washingtonpost.com: U.S. Backs District Gun Law In Court

I bet Johnny Justice (who never met an amendment he liked, except the second) is really happy.

Senegal Tops France in Cup Opener

As Nelson Muntz: Ha-Ha!

I don't care about soccer, but I have to love seeing the French get utterly embarrassed.

Fun with out of context quotes

"France simply could not penetrate..."

U.S. to warn bitter rivals of war's peril
Rumsfeld will visit

You would think India and Pakistan would have a pretty good idea of what could happen if they start firing nukes at one another. But then again, they haven't shown many signs of that so far... This story gives even higher numbers than the one I did yesterday for Pakistan's nuclear capacity; from 24 to 100, rather than 25 to 50. It also has India's capacity as 30 to 150, though no word on how many of those are of the more powerful (100 KT or more) design.

Dollars for dome

CITY COUNCIL PRESIDENT: Gosh, Bernie, you look down. What's the problem, big guy?

MAYOR: I'm so depressed. I'm the mayor of a third-tier city, and I really wish I were the mayor of a second-tier city.

PRESIDENT: Yeah, that is a bummer.

HEAD OF CONVENTION CENTER: I know what we'll do! Let's build a dome!

MAYOR: A dome! That would be great! We'll have a second-tier city in no time!

ANOTHER COUNCILLOR: I don't know, Bernie. We don't have any major professional sports teams, and nobody's going to move one here, and Alabama's going to stop playing games here in a couple years, and nobody goes to the UAB games.

MAYOR: Stop being so negative! We're going to build a dome! Dave, you and I will draw the plans and call the architects. Judy, Steve, you find a site and declare imminent domain. Bobby, you sell the naming rights. The rest of you, go mug some taxpayers to pay for it!

The story above is fictional, yet in a very real sense true. I have no idea what the names of the Birmingham City Council are, but the mayor really is named "Bernard".

Great Moments in Headline Writing
May 31, 2002: The Birmingham News not only calls congressional candidate Artur Davis by his first name, it misspells it.

Hilliard attacks; Kincaid endorses Arthur

The campaign for the Democratic nomination (which is the same as the general election, since no Republican is running) in the Alabama 7th has turned ugly. Congressman Earl Hilliard, who is in the fight of his life, said -- on live TV -- that his opponent was forced to resign from the attorney general's office (Davis never worked there; he's a former federal prosecutor) after an accusation of date rape. The campaign has already been marked by a lot of out-of-state money (meaning more commercials) and Hilliard getting in trouble for not supporting a resolution supporting Israel.

Bushs Allgemeinbildung: Gibt es Schwarze in Brasilien? - Panorama - SPIEGEL ONLINE

It's come to my attention that a few people doubt that Dubya actually said "Do you have Blacks there too?" Well, der Spiegel is generally pretty reliable, and while I have no talent for languages, I read German well enough to know what Gibt es Schwarze in Brasilien? means. Here's a Google translation of the page. I think Condi probably wants to be called "national Sicherheitsberaterin of the USA".

Ashcroft Removes Evidence Hurdle for FBI (washingtonpost.com)

New Justice Department guidelines unveiled today give FBI agents latitude to monitor Internet sites, libraries and religious institutions without first having to offer evidence of potential criminal activity, Attorney General John D. Ashcroft announced at an afternoon press conference.

This explains the guy with the dark suit and the crewcut hanging out at the circulation desk. I was going to run him off, but he'll probably open a file on me. Actually, this is a library at a religious institution (albeit Presbyterian -- they're not noted for producing terrorists) and I have a web site. Two web sites! I better call a lawyer.

Fun with referrer logs

Yahoo! Search Results for arab beauty girl with big tit

OK, that's just sad. Leaving aside the idea of desperately lonely men who are cruising the net for pictures of busty arabs, the construction of the search makes it look like he's looking for one with only one breast.

Breakdown of my traffic:

About half hits from other weblogs, in particular Vodkapundit, Atrios, Possumblog, File13, and Dailypundit, or my old site. About a quarter direct hits. About an sixth, legitimate Google searches. And the rest, the totally depraved.

Diplomats Are Flocking to Israel, but No Peace Plan Seems in Sight

Well, lah-dee-dah. Personally, I think this headline says a lot about the dovish mentality. What we need is a peace plan! Well, I've seen lots of peace plans come and go, but I've never seen any actual peace. But as long as there's a plan, it's all right, even if children keep being blown up by morons in TNT belts.

Bush Sending Rumsfeld to Ease Tensions of India and Pakistan

Um... No offense, but I've never thought of Rumsfeld as being particularly diplomatic. That's not necessarily a bad thing, and I'd kind of like to see him get sent to Israel (where they're probably sick of diplomatic types anyway) but this is a very delicate situation.

Of course, it's possible that Rummy was the only person who was willing to go to a potential nuclear war zone.

TNR Online | Defense Secretary

Ari Fleischer is such an asshole. I've decided that Bush only keeps him on because he knows how much Fleischer annoys the press corps. Not that that's a bad thing.

The American Times : A Modern Magazine

I wanted to comment on Oliver's idea, but Gena Lewis has said much of what I was going to already. I hope it works, and there's no harm in trying... but I see it as kind of what IE did to Netscape. Even if it's exceedingly well done, I don't see a pay model working when someone can do almost as well for free.

Of course, this model would work better for writers of longer pieces -- like Gena, for one -- than for shorter ones. Thinkers, rather than linkers, by the den Beste model. (So, Mac, are you a linker or a thinker? Ringo voice: I'm a stinker.) That's not necessarily a criticism, just an observation.

Fortune.com
American Broadcasting Crackup

Can ABC save itself? Probably not. Why do we need ABC anyway? I mean, what's its audience?

Loyalists in the American Revolution

I've been doing some cataloging work in the American Revolution, and it turns out we're not supposed to call the dirty backstabbing traitors who sided with the British oppressors against their own people "Tories" anymore. We have to call them "Loyalists". I'm not sure whom we'd be offending if we did. Canadians, possibly.

Comparing India and Pakistan’s strategic nuclear weapon capabilities - Jane's International Security News

I don't suppose there are any Jane's subscribers out there? How about someone who knows one? This partial article is pretty scary by itself: India's second generation warheads, mounted on their "Agni" missiles, are thought to have a yield of up to 200 kilotons. The Nagaski bomb (the more powerful of the two dropped on Japan) was 22 KT. Its yields for Pakistani bombs are closer to older Indian weapons, 20-25 KT, but says they have 25-50 warheads. Even given the lower number, and the possibility that some would be held back and some might not work or be misdelivered... You're still talking maybe ten bombs, all probably more powerful than the Nagasaki device.

To give you some idea... The New Scientist article I linked last Friday gave an estimate of 3 million dead, directly, in an Indian/Pakistani nuclear exchange. But that was for only five detonations for each side of Nagasaki-type bombs. If each side uses ten, Pakistan could be more or less destroyed, along with much of northern India. It wouldn't be pleasant for anyone else south of the Himalayas, either.

Coca-Cola USA is going to be really pissed when it sees one of its bottles pictured in an article about beer and cigarettes.

South African Breweries Buys Miller From Phillip Morris

I thought PM was changing its name to something that sounded innocuous? Oh, well. Apparently, they're getting out of the booze business and focusing on the dangerous, addictive substances they know how to sell. Also, cheese.

It remains to be seen how Miller will fare overseas if South African Breweries decides to export the beer, though it could be a refreshing change from some local brews — like Chibuku, a kind of beer similar to a lumpy yogurt shake with alcohol that South African Breweries sells in Zambia and some nearby nations.

Well, that sounds disgusting. Even watery American beer would have to be better than that.

Candidate Flowers charged with assault

Terry Oglesby beat me to this, but I thought I'd pass the word along. Steve Flowers, insurance agent, former state Rep and current state Senate candidate, was arrested and charged with assault for hitting a nine-year-old boy in the face. The boy and his father were putting up anti-Flowers signs; the signs referred to Flowers' previous assault conviction for beating his ex-wife.

Flowers is a Republican.

Blogrolling Department

He's got a permanent Instapundit link, so he hardly needs my recommendation, but check out Max Power, who the last couple of days has been savaging the "Intelligent Design" (ie back-door creationist) movement. I'd been meaning to do so, but he's better at it.

Barlow has been missing (remember, you can't spell AWOL...) most of the week, but he's back with a couple of doozies today. I particularly appreciated his opinion (which matches mine) on the Rehnquist Court:

Forget all the talk about what the guiding philosophy is of this court. It's simply a conservative court. One with no regard for the law.

He doesn't even mention Bush v Gore...

See, this is why I don't normally link Samizdata. Perry de Haviland admits he's opposed to democracy.

(Via a Haven of Fluorescent Sense.)

U.S. May Buy Back Florida Oil Rights

Hey, the President is doing something good for the environment and protecting a valued natural resource. Of course, it's not because of any deep-seated conviction. It's to bail out brother Jeb. Florida's budget is a mess (not least because of a tax cut backed by the younger Bush) and the legislature is looking to raid a popular conservation fund. The environment -- and the Everglades in particular -- are a big issue in Florida, which after all depends heavily upon tourism.

So, voila, big brother to the rescue! Maybe the fund will be raided, but this provides some significant cover. Not that he'll need it to beat Janet Reno, who probably couldn't beat anyone but Fidel Castro himself in a general election.

Americans Playing in Israel Face Their Fears

Well, I don't know why these pro basketball players are so worried. Hamas & Co. only shoot high schoolers playing basketball... Jamal Faulkner (who played two years at my alma mater, but is from Brooklyn) had an interesting perspective:

Faulkner was a regular at a coffee shop that was the site of a bombing. "In Israel, you don't have to deal with random violence like you do here. A guy will walk up to you at home and stick you up for no reason. That doesn't happen in Israel. You never have to worry about someone robbing you because you have a little money in your pocket."

USATODAY.com - Networks prepare papal death coverage

Somehow, the media don't realize why people think of them as vultures.

GOP rivals in squabble over gaming

It's always fun when Alabama Republicans fight. For instance, they spend a lot of time arguing about who is more in touch with the Christian Coalition's goals:

John Giles, state president of the Christian Coalition, confirmed today that Riley, during his three congressional terms, has earned a perfect score with the coalition on "gambling, abortion and other pro-family issues."

That's our next governor, probably. And they don't understand that whole fungibility-of-money thing I was going on about:

James attempted to tie some of that money to a $360,000 contribution the Republican National Congressional Committee gave Riley late last year. "My question to Bob is this: Did any of that $360,000 come from gaming interests?"

And they try to pretend they've been endorsed by Pat Robertson, while engaging in Clintonian linguistics:

Azbell said Tuesday night that Riley didn't intend to claim the bill passed, which it failed to do, but that he only worked with Robertson "to pass it."

All we need is an attack on evolution and it's a complete GOP campaign. Any wonder I'm a Democrat?

Alabama No. 12 as toxic polluter

Which is pretty impressive since the state isn't in the top 20 for population or area. They're saying that the shutdown of a plant in Mobile will decrease pollution, and I'm sure that this is so, if more plants don't just take its place.

Incomes Hit $100,000 For 1 in 4 Households (washingtonpost.com)

But the census also tells a tale of troubling growth in poverty, which went up in a dozen of the region's 20 cities and counties. In some communities, there were increases in people without a ninth-grade education, in crowded homes and in households spending more than one-third of their incomes on mortgage payments.

However, there is no growth in income inequality! None! Don't worry your little heads about it! And even if there were, it's a good thing! It's a sign of a healthy economy! And there's nothing to be done about it!

More link reordering (I am anal) and a new region, the Texas Regional (because Texas is undefinable by mere regionalism). And I stuck a bunch of people into the Midwest who may or may not be midwestern. If you want to complain, feel free. I'd be honored -- at least someone is reading.

The Miami Herald | 05/29/2002 | Public schools' FCAT results in Dade even with charters'

Test scores for charter school students in South Florida were pretty similar to those for public school students. They weren't -- as the headline says -- identical. The charter school students did do better, but (according to the study) only about as much as you'd expect given differing economic status -- the charter school students came from (on average) wealthier homes.

I'm all for experimenting with education, and the public schools in this country are badly in need of repair. But people seem to think that the way to go is to abandon the public school system, and I don't see how that will solve anything. Either some people won't get an education at all or the privately-run schools will wind up just like the public ones of today. That's just my opinion, of course.

Brian Williams Succeeding Tom Brokaw in 2004 as NBC 'Nightly News' Anchor (washingtonpost.com)

Huh. I should probably comment on this, but I find I don't really have anything to say. I haven't watched the network news shows for more than a couple of minutes since the the election. They're not very good, and I can get all the information I need from the Internet or CNN. But you knew that. The news shows are dinosaurs and pretty much nobody watches them but senior citizens.

Gosh, I guess I did have something to say.

(I accidentally posted this to the old site. It's a little dated now, I guess.)

Hi, I'm FBI director Robert S. Mueller, and nothing is my fault! And I certainly wasn't trying to cover up the bureau's gross negligence! Please don't fire me!

Gwinnett principal blasted for denying graduation walk

An Atlanta-area high school student, paralyzed in a car wreck in 1999, wanted to use a walker and leg braces to walk to receive her diploma last week. She was wobbly but able to do so at practice. The principal, however, decided that wasn't good enough and made her use a wheelchair instead, even though her mother had signed a waiver. Yet another in the long line of attempts to infantilize high schoolers.

James Woods is Rudy! in Rudy!

More fun with referrer logs.

To whomever was searching for "NBC Movie we interrupt this program nukes": You're probably thinking of the 1983 TV movie Special Bulletin, about domestic terrorists who wind up blowing up Charleston, which I thought was pretty good. (The movie, not blowing up Charleston.)

To whomever was searching for "gory WTC death photos", you need professional help. Never visit this site again.

And all the Malachi York searchers... Really, I don't know anything about the man except that one AJC story. Sorry.

You could tell they were falling in love...

Sexual Tension Between Arafat, Sharon Reaches Breaking Point

From the Onion, of course.

Group plans suit to halt Jefferson's supersewer

Supersewer? The story doesn't clarify exactly what that is, nor how it differs from ordinary, mortal sewers. Nor does it clarify what it would be a problem for the Cahaba River to seep into the sewer. I mean, the opposite, that I could understand.

Turnabout is Fair Play

Oddly, Blogspot is working fine, but a lot of people working on paid servers -- including the Blogging King -- are down. How about that?

Sept. 11 prediction: Sheik told mosque leader
of 'terrifying' operation hatched by 'madman'

Supposedly a couple of Osama's pals discussed something like 9-11 in 2000 or early 2001. Let's see where this goes. I don't believe in psychic powers, so either he was in on it or the tapes are fraudulent. Or -- most likely -- this is just a misinterpretation.

Joe Klein's European Listening Tour By Joe Klein

I think Klein should write everything as "Anonymous". He was a lot more interesting when nobody knew who he was.

NBC's Tom Brokaw To Bow Out With 2004 Elections (washingtonpost.com)

Here's a question: What if we have another tie and the story goes on for weeks again? Will Brokaw really step down? I don't think so. Oh, sure, you say, what are the odds that's going to happen? Well, what were the odds the first time?

CNN.com - FBI 'Carnivore' glitch hurt al Qaeda probe - May 29, 2002

THEN: We need Carnivore to properly investigate crimes and prevent terrorism.

NOW: Carnivore accidently made it easier to get away with crimes and commit terrorism.

Libya Offers $2.7 Billion to Families of Pan Am Victims

Did you ever think you'd see the day where Moammar Qadafi's Libya started to look relatively benign?

Buffy Game Rises At Last

But only for the X-Box. Curse you, Bill Gates!

Fun with referrer logs

Yahoo! Search Results for chandra levy bra size

Well, perverts need to use the net too. More than most of us, I guess.

CBBC Newsround | WORLD | 'I've got the world's longest tongue'

Uh... Yuck.

Roll Your Own Me-Zine

I thought I'd point out Me-Zine.com to anyone who hasn't seen it already.

New Arafat Potato Chips Hit Stores

Sure, but how much of the proceeds will really reach the homicide bombers in need?

(Via both Possumblog and File 13.)

Cold War in a Hot Climate By Anne Applebaum

She thinks the Cold War paradigm will hold between India and Pakistan, and there won't be a nuclear exchange. I'm sorry, but I think her first section fails.

1) India and Pakistan share a common border, along which minor conflagrations might easily turn into a major war—indeed, there has been shelling across the border for some days now. The United States and the USSR did not.

In fact, even though the United States and the USSR did not have a common border, NATO and the Warsaw pact shared many common borders, along which there were many minor conflagrations, some of which seemed, at the time, just as likely to develop into nuclear war—the construction of the Berlin Wall and the Berlin airlift, for example.

Except those "conflagrations" never led to attacks over the borders. The US and USSR were very careful to not fight each other directly. India and Pakistan are not only on the verge of a shooting war: in many ways, one is already ongoing. I said something like this before... If NATO had invaded East Germany, or the Warsaw Pact West Germany, and the defenders looked ready to lose, do you really think they wouldn't have gone nuclear?

Eschaton

"Do you have Blacks, too?" isn't the stupidest thing anyone has ever said. But it's on the list.

Israel Arrests Senior Militant After Suicide Bombing

Good. Now, put a bullet in his brain. And every time there's another suicide bomber, arrest another leader and put a bullet into his brain. Continue. Eventually, even they'll get the idea.

Did you know that there is an Official Alabama Renaissance Faire? Yes, really! There's lots of other silly stuff, but a Renfest?

The Louisiana Quarter - The United States Mint

I'm trying to figure this out. I think Louisiana is saying that historically, the entire Louisiana Purchase is part of the state.

Centers of attention: As TVs get bigger, furniture to hold them follows closely behind

And as the behinds of TV watchers get bigger, the sofas they sit upon do as well. It all works out!

Everyone's favorite wacko blogger introduces: Ragnet. A strong letter from the Council on American-Islamic Relations to follow.

Accounts Suggest Captain Blacked Out

The tugpoat pilot who crashed into a bridge in Oklahoma; he tested negative for alcohol and drugs (they tested for all drugs?) so it looks like a medical condition. And probably just a stupid accident.

Taliban and Qaeda Believed Plotting Within Pakistan

Supposedly to destabilize Afghanistan... but hey, look at the situation in Pakistan right now. The Musharraf regime doesn't look long for this world, and the Pakistani military has mostly been called to the other side of the country. I think they're setting up to try to take over if the government falls.

Pakistan Vows Its 'Full Might' if a War Comes

Um... That doesn't sound like they're ruling out using nukes, does it?

Electric trains possible for area

The Birmingham area, that is... I'm all for public transportation, and the US 280 highway one of them would travel along needs some sort of congestion relief, but let's be realistic. These big projects never work. At least, they're all huge money losers, and the real traffic on them is always much lower than the projections. Jefferson County would be much wiser to do something about the dreadful bus service. They are talking about buses in some areas:

Bus service was highly touted in the study for the southwest corridor because of the number of people who depend on buses for transportation.

I'll translate for out-of-towners... Bessemer, Ensley, and other towns southwest of Birmingham will get buses, because that's all "those people" -- African-Americans and poor whites -- deserve or are used to. (Can you tell I grew up in Bessemer?) The same goes for the more prosperous areas to the north of town. The upper-middle-class commuter types who live south or southeast of the city will get fancy new electric trains. (Which they will reject in order to drive their SUVs.)

CNN.com - Klez.H 'becomes biggest virus' - May 27, 2002

Surpassing SirCam. Its creator must be so proud.

CNN.com - Cloning to revive extinct species - May 28, 2002

The Tasmanian Tiger, in this case. It wasn't really a tiger, of course: it was a marsupial, and looked more doglike than catlike, but it had stripes. I know some people will think we're playing God, but we're not. Scientists are trying to fix our own mistakes. The animal was hunted to extinction by humans, and maybe it will be humans who will bring it back. It was hardly the only one, of course. I'd love to see a woolly mammoth, but I doubt that's do-able. Similarly, the preservation wasn't there for pre-20th century extinctions like the dodo or moa. But one can hope.

"Hey, Junior, you have a spot on your tie..."

ScienceDaily Magazine -- Dietary Component Kills Bacterial Cause Of Ulcers And Stomach Cancer

Unfortunately, that dietary component is contained in broccoli. (The President's Daddy better be careful.) Well, it's edible if you put enough cheese on it.

NATO Welcomes Russia as Junior Partner

Hard to believe Russia would accept that. And considering that the whole idea of NATO was to stand up against the Russians, why is it still around?

Yahoo! Search Results for arabic beauty women dirty pics

Hey, it's my first really disturbing and dirty sex request hit! I feel faint.

CNN.com - Musharraf: Threat of war remains - May 27, 2002

Well, duh. And it's going to stay until (a) he stops the terrorists, or (b) there's no need for a threat because the war has started... I don't see an exit here. The two sides have gone too far, and Musharraf can't back down on Kashmir now. (And he didn't show any signs of it today.) I don't think either side actually wants to go to war; they know what could happen. But I don't see a political way out other than us coming down hard on both sides, and I don't see the Administration doing that.

France/U.S.: Bush Visit Unlikely To Lessen French Anti-Americanism

Why should we care? Honestly, the French don't seem to like anyone very much -- well, except for terrorists -- and it's not like we're that fond of them. So what if we don't get along? The French don't pose any sort of military threat, obviously, and economically they need us a whole lot more than we need them.

46 Die in Bus Accident in India

What the hell is going on over there? This is the second major accident involving a bus in India since Saturday. That doesn't take into account the massacre of bus passengers by terrorists two weeks ago.

Jacob Shwirtz of Fuzzy Blogic talked to Michael Moore at Cannes. Says he was "a pretty cool guy", and has a new webmaster.

Bomb Explodes at Israeli Mall

Reports say 50 were wounded. No word on fatalities. There is no justification for this, but you know that.

UPDATE: Reports now say two people who didn't deserve it are dead, an elderly woman and a girl, as well as a splodeydope. Do you get extra points, or extra virgins, for killing the aged and children?

Via Oliver Willis comes word that Britney Spears will play a vampire in six episodes of Buffy next season. I really don't know how I feel about this. At the least, I hope she isn't next season's primary villain. I guess it will be good for ratings, but Cristina Aguilera already is a vampire, so she'd be better casting.

Residents of Georgia town trying to revive Oliver Hardy fan club

"Harlem, Georgia"?

Venezuelan coup leader given asylum

If we're going to sponsor a coup, the least we can do is give the guy a place to stay once it fails. But no, he had to go to the Colombians. What does this say about us? And if we're going to turn our backs on them, how are we going to get coup leaders in the future?

US anti-abortionist agrees to extradition

We had to promise the French not to seek the death penalty. Which is kind of ironic, in its way. But James Kopp, murderer, should spend life in prison, at least. And Law & Order will probably have an excuse to do another abortion doctor murder episode.

Faster Politics III - Coming soon: Mid-October conventions? By Mickey Kaus

The Democrats are looking at a post-Labor Day convention in 2004. Mickey "Nettrap" Kaus asks, why didn't the parties think of this earlier? Well, my guess is TV. The fall season usually starts soon after Labor Day, and the networks wouldn't be inclined to participate if it meant interrupting that. But things have changed. More shows are delaying their season premieres in order to have more episodes available in sweeps periods, for one thing.

But more importantly, the networks are carrying less convention coverage every cycle, and so the parties don't have to cater to their needs. But mid-October? No way. Between the baseball playoffs and the TV season in full swing, no one would pay attention. It's all we can do to get three or four hours of debates up, and they're a lot more interesting than conventions. Of course, so is almost everything else.

Nuclear Nightmares

Our "We're All Going To Die!" link of the week!

No Longer a Suspect, But Still a Detainee (washingtonpost.com)

I should make a Britney Spears joke here, but I will demur.

This is a weird and disturbing case. Jean-Tony (?!) Oulai is a native of the Ivory Coast, and a Catholic; he's been in custody eight months. He's been ordered deported, but the government won't release him. It appears he's being held basically for being a foreign flight student.

I understand that the government is trying to be careful. But I, personally, am not happy about a country that holds people prisoner for no reason, and Oulai is hardly the only one.

State Seoul-searching for jobs

New rule: Nobody at the Birmingham News is ever allowed to make a pun.

Anyway, a bunch of locals are in Korea as part of an attempt to become suppliers for the Hyundai plant that's building near Montgomery. Under state auspices, naturally. I don't think that was covered as part of the corporate welfare package to bring the plant in the first place...

Man Who Killed at 17 Is Scheduled to Die

How do I know that all the teen-sex-is-pure-evil-types in our little community have no problem with this?

Colombians elect hard-liner Uribe

Apparently, all it takes to be considered a hard-liner is opposition to widespread rebellion. As in this example, from a London newspaper of 1864:

AMERICANS RE-ELECT HARD-LINER LINCOLN

Not that this guy is necessarily Lincoln. But FARC needs to be taken down, and maybe this is the man to do it.

Anagrams

"War Liberal Mac" can be rearranged to spell "Will cream Arab". Also, "Mac: I'll wear bra", but we're going to ignore that.

Pakistan expects Iranian support in war

Oh, for fun! Put this together with Iran's missile capabilities, and even if Pakistan lacks the ability to hit deep into India, they could soon. And, hey, what do you think Iran will get for all their help? Rhymes with "dukes"?

Husain drew a parallel between ‘Indian aggressions’ against Pakistan and Israel’s repression of the Palestinian intifada, which Iran supports.
‘There is a striking similarity between the policy being pursued by Israel to suppress the Palestinian freedom movement and the Indian policy to crush the Kashmiri freedom struggle.
However, this similarity is not surprising considering the close military cooperation between India and Israel.

As if I needed any more reason to sympathize with India... I'd like to propose a corollary to Blair's Law: "Any idiocy will always be compared to the Intifada by supporters sympathetic to the Intifada".

CNN.com - Report: chimps used simple tools 5 million years ago - May 23, 2002

If by "tools" you mean the same sort of simple implements their descendants use today -- stones and twigs, with little effort used to modify them -- sure. And they probably weren't much different from what our ancestors were using at the time. Of course, our ancestors weren't much different from chimps' at the time. It wasn't until much later that humans became smart enough to really manufacture true tools.

CNN.com - Crowd attacks, kills New Orleans teen - May 26, 2002

A group of children -- the two arrested are 12 and 14 year old girls -- attacked and killed a 16 year old girl in front of her house, then one stabbed her to death. How does this sort of thing happen? I can understand one person going crazy, but seven to ten?

CNN.com - Dozens hurt in D.C. concert stampede - May 26, 2002

I have to admit, I'm not a concert-type guy. But I've never understood why anyone would get that worked up about a musician -- or, as in this case, Eminem -- to put themselves in harm's way, or injure another person.

The Nando Times: Iran confirms it tested ballistic missile

Oh, God. This missile has a range of about 800 miles, which would reach Israel, as well as several places where American troops are stationed. But Israel's the big one, of course. And let's not forget that if Pakistan breaks down, Iran will be an obvious customer for anyone with a nuke to sell, if they don't get one some other way first.

Musharraf Says Raids In Kashmir Have Ended (washingtonpost.com)

I don't know that I believe him. And even if he's telling the truth, it comes down to it all he's saying is "We aren't sponsoring any raids right now, that I know of." I think it's pretty clear where my sympathies lie here.

Only the United States, Musharraf said, can help. "They must help. They can bring normalcy here. They must resolve this dispute. And they must ensure balance in the region."

Come on. Why do we have to do everything? Anyway, if we're so awful and untrustworthy -- like everyone says -- why is it that everyone trusts us to solve their problems? And when did we go from being the world's policeman -- which was bad enough -- to the world's flipping guidance counselor?